The Turf-Cutter Speaks

January 22, 2019
Turf-Cutter Speaks

This piece is being prepared for Extraction; Life At the Edge of the Abyss, a large art project instigated by the Codex Foundation USA. This piece will be one of 26 that make up a portfolio intended to raise funds for the project.

From the Colophon:

In May 1978, while hand-cutting turf on Meenybraddan bog in County Donegal,
a woollen cloak was uncovered about one
metre below the surface. When opened,
the cloak was found to contain a partially preserved human body. A sample of bone established a date of c.1570, confirming the
late medieval period suggested by the cloak.The absence of oxygen in Irish bogs slows down the process of decay, preserving
organic material for thousands of years.

Designed, composed & letterpress printed by Jamie Murphy for Extraction; Art on the Edge of the Abyss. The type is Frutiger’s 14D Méridien. Printed above is an ink mixed with peat dust. 100 copies on various 115 gsm Griffen Mill Irish handmade papers.